i cannot believe that some people think ainge has hurt this team by accumulating 3 first round draft picks.
if this is the sort of woes that ainge brings to the celtics then we are very fortunate to have him as the GM.
Ummm I think you're not looking at every aspect of what I said or what ainge has done.
For the most part ainge has been great but there's definitely things he has either ignored or been flat out bad at - example acquiring a solid big.
A few things about that. First of all, in a rebuild your roster is not always figured out perfectly. Secondly, he did get Amir Johnson (when he was still a positive impact player), Al Horford, and Aron Baynes. He also signed a German center that was a starter this year and held his own at that position. He then signed Enes Kanter. He drafted a big man in Rob Williams that I know many fans want to write off, but still has some very dynamic upside.
The Cs don't have an all-star center because they have all-star guards and forwards. You can't realistically have all-stars at every position.
I'm on board with getting a center that would move Theis to a backup role. I'd like that upgraded as well. But this narrative that Ainge doesn't ever get big men is simply untrue. He doesn't get bad big men that are celticstrong forum binkies, but that doesn't mean he's done poorly.
I agree and would add that the "Celtics need bigs" narrative is partially grown out of the NBA's past. Years ago every team started a 6'10+ 240lbs+ center and along side him a 6'8+ 240lb+ Power Forward. Not that long ago KG and Duncan where 7' 250+ Power forwards player along side equally big centers.
In today's NBA most teams have one big on the court at a time and show some sort of "small ball" lineup. In this current NBA environment teams roster less bigs and it takes unique skills sets to be a productive big on a playoff team. Look at the finals, the lakers who played big all season with Mcgee starting and Dwight backing him up went to a one big lineup with Davis.
Its easy to watch Bam taking it to the Cs and say "DA need to get a big to match up" but who? On paper R Williams is a great match-up but he struggles in P&R. Modern bigs are the toughest architype to find and also the easiest to play without.
This is why if the C's move way up my target would be Okongwu. If you have a "big" who excels at defense and can also score a bit....golden. He's agile enough to help some on the perimeter too.
I mean, would Okongwu's presence not be good against Giannis? Bam? AD? I think it would be a good presence. I liked our committee of bigs this year but there's only so much a committee can do.
Second favorite move up target would be tie between Vassell and Halliburton, and third favorite move up target is P. Williams.
I like Okongwu, but the hype on this Board is getting out of hand.
He is not the second coming of Wilt Chamberlain.
Nor of Bam Adebayo.
Okongwu is more like the 2nd coming of Capela.... but is a smidge more explosive and has more promising offensive capabilities. Jump shot still needs work
However the guy is really explosive, strong and hardworking. His ability to guard multiple positions, block shots and grab rebounds out of nowhere, is Adebayoish/Tristant Thompson
Okongwu is likely to disappoint most fans. I believe he would be a marginal upgrade from Theis and and likely a Tristan Thompson level starting center. He is a big (like Theis) who you can start and play in the playoffs given his mobility and versatility but any dreams of him being the versatile offensive player Bam is seem really fare fetched. He is totally worth a lottery pick because he can plug in and play center in the modern NBA something most bigs can not do.
Tristan Thompson was and is so raw as a scorer. The reason he was picked high was because there was a hope that someone could shape that raw ability, but it never really did happen. I think Okongwu already shows a lot more scoring ability than Thompson did at the same age. His defense was always more potential than actual. He does have some versatility, but he's neither a rim protector nor a reliable switch big man. Thompson would have flamed out of the league a long time ago if he didn't develop the ability to play really, really hard when he was on the court. That effort redeems his so-so offensive and defensive abilities.
Overall, however, I do agree that his impact on the court will likely be a Tristan Thompson-level center in the NBA. That, however, would be a valuable piece to add to the Celtics.